Trouble with a Capital 'B'
by DaChief07
Summary: Blitzwing has a 'little' problem; can we get him back to normal, or will he be stuck as a sparkling? Contains age regression and cute Blitzyness.   Will be completed, slowly but surely; don't give up on me!  Reviews and suggestions are appreciated, Baby Blitzwing will give you hugs!
1. Chapter 1

Trouble With A Capital B- Chapter 1

It was a hot afternoon at the shop. "Hey, Tank! You done with those treads yet?" the boss yelled from the office.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" I yelled back. I rolled my eyes. I swear, sometimes it's like I work with a bunch of retarded monkeys.

"Whatever, just finish up and shut 'er down," he said, tossing me the shop keys, "I need you outta here by five."

"Can do, Captain!" I said, giving him the usual sarcastic salute and knocking my hat sideways in the process.

"I'll need you to open late tomorrow, too. I'm going to be at a meeting 'til noon and I need someone to hold down the fort while I'm out." he said as he grabbed his stuff from behind the door.

"Sure thing, Cap. You want me to empty the trash before I leave tonight, too?" I asked.

"Yeah, just keep it in the bag this time, okay?" he replied with a grin. "That wasn't my fault! Joe put glass in the bag!" I pouted.

"Suuuuure," he laughed, " You take it easy, Tank ol' girl!" He said as he walked out the door.

"You too- HEY-! WHAT DID I JUST- UUGH!" I swear, my boss is a total butthead , no doubt.

'It's getting dark early today', I thought to myself as I tied off the trash bag and made my way to the back door into the alley. As I walked past the empty crates we kept behind the shop, I heard a weird little scuffling sound coming from between them and the dumpsters and I could have sworn I saw a short little shadow in the fading light. 'Okay, that's a little different'. I knew we had rats back here, but none that big! I tossed the trash in the dumpster and started back towards the shop, but then an evil thought crossed my mind. 'I wonder how the Captain would feel about a big, fat rat in his office in the morning?' I mused.

If the Grinch could have seen my grin of pure evil at that moment, he'd be proud.

I pulled my leather welding gloves out of my belt and slipped them on; I have some pretty crazy ideas sometimes, but grabbing a wild animal without at least some protection isn't one of them. As quietly as possible, I started sneaking towards the spot where I'd last seen the little shadow. I crawled slowly onto the crate, braced myself, and prepared to pounce. The little shadow was right where I thought, so, as fast as I could be sure it's caster wasn't moving, I snatched it up! "HAH-HA!" I yelled triumphantly as I hoisted my catch into the air.

"WHAT THE-!" I gaped at the thing I had caught. A tiny, angry red face with a visor stared back at me.

"PUT ME ZE SLAG DOWN!" it demanded in a childish voice. I was so shocked that I nearly dropped it. It was about two-and-a-half feet tall and didn't look a thing like what I had planned on catching. It was mostly tan, with certain areas of purple and black. I was so busy examining it that I nearly missed the movement of the little monster rotating two minute cannons in my direction.

"HOLY-!" I cried as it fired two little fireballs that I barely managed to dodge. My grip slipped a bit, but I caught a better hold on it from behind under it's arms.

There was a small whizz and click, and I'll be darned If the thing didn't have a different face! It stopped flailing in my hands, turned towards me and said in a calm voice, "Vould jou _please_ set me down?" If I'd had time to think of something better to say right then, I would have. Of course, since I was still in a bit of shock, my dumb self has to ask awkward questions.

"What _are _you?" I asked.

"I'm Cybertronian, my name ist Blitzving." It replied


	2. Chapter 2

Trouble With A Capital B- Chapter 2

"Cybertronian? You mean like one of those huge robots that everyone's talking about? Whaddyacallem, Autobot or something." I puzzled out loud.

Another whiz-and-click and I was looking at that same little angry face again. "Nein! I am against ze Autobots! Zey are scum! Less zan scum, zey are, zey are-!"

"Auto-scum?" I suggested.

"Jes!"

"Then what does that make you, kid?" , I asked.

"I AM NOT A KID!" It shouted back, "AH AM A SOLDIER IN MEGATRON'S PROUD DECEPTICON ARMY, UND NOZZING ZTANDS IN MY VAY!"

'Wait a second. Purple, tan and black? I've seen that before!'

"Don't tell me you're that big, tan robot that was tearin' it up downtown the other day?" I said in disbelief.

"De same." The calm blue face said.

"Then what the heck happened? Last time I checked, I couldn't hold a three-story tall giant in my hands!"

"I HaD A LittlE AccidenT VitH UN CoverkeR'S ExperimenT," a third face answered, giggling. I rolled my eyes. ' Crazy little monster' I thought with a smile as I set him down on the crate next to the one I was sitting on.

The sun had nearly set by the time he'd explained his situation.

Apparently, his leader's pseudo-scientific second-in-command had decided to test an invention on him, with unsatisfactory results.

The change wasn't immediate, he said. It just kinda snuck up later in the day;

He'd been flying a few blocks away from the shop when he'd felt a bit odd, transformed, and landed. He noticed that things were slightly bigger than they normally were and started to worry that the experiment had altered his senses. Although, when his surroundings continued getting larger, he started to panic. The panic grew too when he tried to transform back into jet mode and found he was unable to do so. By late afternoon, he was a mech in a sparkling's body. Just before I'd found him, he'd been fighting the urge to give in to the childish fear he was beginning to feel.

"It's getting late," I said, after we had spoken for a while, '"I need to get going." I got up and started walking back to the shop. I was a little surprised when Blitzwing appeared at my feet.

" Jour not just going to leave me out here, are jou?" He pouted, staring up at me with big red optics.

"Why not?" I said, shrugging my shoulders, "Won't your comrades find you and take care of you?"

He turned away and whispered, "Zat's vat I'm afraid of."

"Why?" I asked.

"Megatron vill not allow veakness in his army! If zey find me zey von't vaste time fixing ze problem!" He said in a louder tone. He clung tightly to my pantleg and leaned on my boot. There was fluid gathering in his optics and his little chin was trembling when he finally looked up again. "Jou'll help me, von't jou?" he pleaded.

"I don't see how I can help," I said, as I picked him up again. "I don't know anything about robots or aliens! Or kids for that matter. How are we gonna get that machine from this 'Starscream' guy, and how do you know if it even works in reverse?" I ranted.

He yawned and said in a rather tired voice, "Ve have to try."


	3. Chapter 3

Trouble With a Capital B- Chapter 3

I shook Blitzwing a little to wake him up.

"You can sleep in the car, kid," I said, "I've got to close up shop before we go to my apartment."

He rubbed his optic with his little fist and said "Can't ve just stay here?"

"Nope. I gotta get my stuff out of my locker and then we can go."

"But I'm too tired! " he whined.

I stared at him and put my hand on my hip. "Since when does a grown mech complain that he's sleepy?" I teased.

He looked a little startled, then a bit worried. "What? If you're _that_ tired we can stay, I suppose, although we'd have to leave early tomorrow so I can call in and let the boss know I'll be out a few days. Who knows how long this little adventure of ours is gonna last?", I conceded. 'I might as well take my vacation now and actually do something worthwhile with it.' I added mentally.

"We can sleep in the waiting room. I'll take the couch, and you can sleep in the chair."

"How come jou get ze couch?" he complained.

"Cuz you don't fill it, short-stuff."

He flipped over to Hothead and was about to throw a hissy fit when I picked him up and plopped him down in the chair. "Chill out," I said, "I was only teasing you."

He calmed down a bit and went back to Icy. "Now get some sleep, 'cuz we gotta be up early."

I woke up to a psychotic little happy face blocking my entire field of vision.

"Ahhhh!" I yelled as I fell off the couch, taking the little trouble-maker with me with a thud/clunk.

"What the crap, kid? Can't you wake people up in a normal way? Sheesh!" I said, rubbing my head.

"VelL, IF JoU HadN'T RolleD ON ME, vE Vouldn'T HavE HaD DaT HappeN!" He giggled.

"That's why I put you in the chair last night, not on the couch. Why were you sleeping on me, anyway?"

"I vas cold, und-" He stopped in mid-sentence when we both heard an odd grinding noise.

"What was that?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

A bit of pink came into his faceplates and he said "Zat vas mein fuel lines… I haven't refueled since yesterday afternoon…"

I sighed. "What do you eat?"

"Umm, usually ve drink oil in ze mornink."

"Hmm," I mumbled as I rummaged through the junk on the toolbench. It took a few minutes, but I found what I was looking for. "Will this work?" I asked, holding up a tin of Three-in-One lubricating oil.

"Eet looks good." He said, reaching for it. I pulled up the applicator tube and handed it to him.

"Try using the tube as a straw." I recommended as I handed it over. He took a sip and his optics brightened. It must've been good, 'cuz he nearly gagged on the applicator trying to get more out of the tin.

"Slow down! You're gonna choke!" I laughed as he tried to chew the tube off the oil can.

He was about halfway through with the can when he decided to call it quits.

"You through?"

"Yez."

I took the can and put it in my back pocket. "We'll save the rest for later; right now we gotta get going."

"Jou never told me vat to call jou." He stated.

"Huh? Oh, I guess I didn't, did I? Most people call me Tank, so I guess you can, too."

His little face spun around again. "TaNK?" he cackled maniacally, "Zat'S ZE VierdesT NamE FoR An OrganiC I'vE EvEr HearD!"

I just rolled my eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Trouble With A Capital 'B' – Chapter 4

"Where is he?" Starscream asked himself impatiently as he flew over Detroit.

It had been twenty-four earth hours since his little experiment and he had wanted to give Blitzwing a second look-over to be absolutely sure that there had been no effects.

So far, though, there had been no word from Blitzwing since he left the base to go on patrol, and he hadn't responded to any calls on his com-link.

"I'll bet that screw-loose glitch is off with those worthless Constructicons somewhere! When I get a hold of him he'll wish he'd never been sparked!" he ranted as he turned eastward.

"Taaaaaank! Are ve zere yet?", Blitzwing complained for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I told you already, we gotta go by the General's headquarters to the meeting hall."

Since my boss couldn't be bothered to pick up his cell, I figured this was the next best thing. "And in case you're wondering, we're about three blocks from our destination, so don't bother asking." I grumped. I glanced up into my rearview mirror just in time to see him close his mouth.

As we pulled into the parking lot and tried to find a place to park, I turned towards the back seat. "Okay, you wanna stay in the car, or are you coming in with me?"

My answer came in the form of an angry shout; " OF COURSE I'M COMING VITH JOU! VHY VOULD I STAY OUT HERE VERE ZHEY COULD FIND ME?"

I was slightly taken aback at this, but I had to ask; "Okay, that was a dumb question. So what are we gonna tell people who see you? I mean, you don't exactly blend in, and hiding you from the guards every five seconds isn't a feasible option."

He flipped back to his calmer side and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Iz zere any vay jou could disguise me?" he asked.

"All I've got is shop towels in my trunk… wait a sec! The boss was always braggin' to me about some 'Big Project' he's been workin' on in robotics; I could sneak you in as my own secret project!" I exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"VHAT!"

"What? I can tell them I needed to take you on a test run in public. Halloween isn't anywhere near this time of year, so I can't just say you're some kid testing his costume. Besides, even if it was Halloween, they'd want you to take off the mask in there. It is a military-type base, you know." I explained as we got out of the car.

"Vhat mask?" Zis ist mein face." Replied the calm one.

"Exactly."

"Now, we're just gonna pop in, tell the boss I need a few days off, and pop out. Simple as pie."

"Vhat's 'pie'?" I stared down at Blitzwing, looked him straight in the optics, and started laughing. This kid can't be serious! But then I looked again and saw that same confused, innocent look he'd had back when we'd met in the alley. 'He doesn't _look_ any younger,' I thought, ' but he's been acting like it every now and then. I hope he doesn't lose it completely before we get this whole thing over with. The last thing I need is a robot who thinks I'm his momma.'

I grinned again at this last thought.

"VhaT'S SO FuNny?" he giggled. "JOu LooK HaPPy to bE INvadInG a tOP-seCreT bAse!"

"Nothing," I said as we walked up to the building, " Just a thought. Listen; if we get busted, remind me to never try this again. And we're not 'invading', we're here for a perfectly legitimate reason."

"So are ze bugs, but no-vun vants zem here eizer." He stated warily.


	5. Chapter 5

Trouble With A Capital 'B' - Chapter 5

As we approached the entrance to the base, the ridiculously loud roar of a low-flying plane made us stop between the cars and snap our gazes toward the Detroit morning sky.

"What kind of dipshit would be flying that low this early?", I said as the plane came into view, "and who the heck would paint a jet pink anyhow?"

"Pink?" asked Blitzwing with an odd look on his face.

I pointed to the offending aircraft as it came towards the base and said, "Yeah, check it out." We watched as the jet passed overhead and continued eastward into the city.

When it was gone, I turned to Blitzwing, "So, you ready to 'infiltrate' the…." I stopped when I saw the look that was frozen on his face. It was a mix of confusion, fear, and a tad of anger. "Hey, what's with you all of a sudden? You know that guy?" I joked.

"JES! ZAT'S DE MECH WHO DID ZIS TO ME!" he shouted as he pointed in the direction it had gone, excitedly. "VEN I GET BACK AH'LL TEAR HIM EIN NEW EXHAUST PORT!" he exclaimed.

As he moved to run after the offender, I snagged him by the arm and told him, "You're not gonna catch him in your current state, so stay put."

He pouted at me, "BUT VHYYYY?" he whined, pulling at my hand and stomping his little feet, "I VANNA GO GET HIIIIM!" his voice rising in pitch.

"Hey! Knock it off! You and I both know that he would smush you like a bug in an instant and there would be nothing you could do about it."

He paused and buzzed back to Icy. He frowned for a moment and then he said in a low voice, "Eet's not done vith me jet, is eet?" he looked at me, "Eet's takink mein mind as vell." He reached up and took my hand as we turned and started once again toward the base.

"Well, that just means we'll have to do this quick, then, doesn't it?" I said with a smile, trying to hide the worry I felt. "Just try to hold on until we find that Pink Menace's 'experiment'. You can zone out as much as you want when you're back to normal and outta my hair."

Next thing I know he's clinging to my leg with that crazy face on, laughing like there's no tomorrow. "joU rEaLLy sInk Ve cAN dO eeT?"

I just smiled. "Of course."

"You remember what we're gonna say if they ask about you?" I asked Blitzwing as we stepped through the door into the entryway.

"Jes, I remember, Tank. I'm not as joung as I look."

I smirked. "Not often, anyways,"

He scowled at that remark.

"Let's just find my boss, m'kay?" I walked through the second set of doors, into the lobby, and up to the service counter with my little tag-a-long in tow. I leaned on the counter and cleared my throat to get the receptionist's attention.

"'Scuse me, ma'am," I inquired, "Could you direct me to the meeting hall? I need to talk to my boss about some-" I glanced down at Blitzwing, "-important business."

She gave me that 'you-interrupted-me-for-this' look that every secretary seems to know and said, "Name?"

"Who, me?" I asked.

"No, the ghost behind you. Yes you! And I'll need to know who you're here for or you'll not get past this desk smart-ass." she snapped with a sarcastic sneer. The little snit. I decided to whip out the ol' gag bag and toss one her way.

"Of course." I said with as straight a face as I could manage "I'm here to see the main street Shop Captain. My name's Bangue, Irona Bangue."

She stared at me suspiciously for a few moments, then turned and picked up the loudspeaker receiver from the far side of the desk. She pressed a button on the PA system and a buzz came from the speakers in the overhead ceiling panels.

"Main street Shop Captain to the front for Irona Bangue, repeat; Captain, Irona Bangue."

The whole base seemed to go silent for about five seconds before bursting out in a collective roar of laughter. She tried to put down the receiver without slamming it into it's cradle. From the echo of the announcement, it seemed that not a single person in the base had missed my little joke, and from the blush on 'Miss Priss's' face I could see she hadn't, either. Blitzwing had flipped faces again and started cackling like a maniac just as the Captain reached us from down the hall. He jogged up to us and stopped to catch his breath.

"Jeez, Cap, you run the whole way? I've never seen you this winded, like, ever." I said with a giant mischievous grin.

He took a deep breath and promptly lost it in a fit of laughter.

"Well, I don't see what's so funny." Stated 'miss-I-sit-behind-the-counter-looking-pretty-and-do-nothing-useful'.

"You wouldn't," I said, "Private joke between me an' the Captain."


	6. Chapter 6

Trouble With a Capital 'B'- Chapter 6

The Captain finally collected himself enough to address the secretary.

"I'll take it from here, Brianna." He motioned for me to follow as he turned back down the hallway he'd just come from.

With one last superior smirk at 'madam-desk-lady', I obliged, Blitzwing close on my heels.

"Must be something important if you had to come all this way just to talk. Or did you just come up to harass Brianna for me?" he asked once we had gone down the hall far enough as to not be heard at the desk.

"You knew it was just a matter of time 'till someone did something about her, mein Commandant."

His head snapped around at that. "You know I can't stand Germany, why would you say that?" he snapped at me as he opened the door to his private office.

"Aww come _on_, we lost the soccer championship to them two years ago! Don't you think it's about time to let it go?" I fumed as we entered. He shut the door. "Besides, I don't want you prejudiced about this little dude just 'cuz of his accent." I tapped Blitzwing on the shoulder and nodded my head in the Captain's direction in an 'introduce yourself' kind of motion.

The Captain had glanced down to see what I was on about and sucked in his breath so hard I thought he was gonna pop his lungs.

Blitzwing looked up at him from behind my leg, then back at me. "Of all the times to be shy! Go on, kid! Tell the Captain your name. You couldn't shut up in the car!"

He glanced back at my boss and said, "But isn't zere ein rule about speaking vith strangers?"

'Here we go again with the baby brain' I thought to myself.

"There is, but this is an exception. _I_ know him and _I_ say It's okay." I replied.

That comment set him off and he switched over to tantrum mode; "I KNOW ZAT! DON'T JOU TALK DOWN TO ME JOU ORGANIC FILTH!"

I snatched him up by the armpits and countered with "Kinda hard not to when you're so short!"

He scowled back and flipped his cannons in my direction. That's when my boss decided to interrupt our little squabble.

"UH-UH! None of that, boyo! You start shooting up the place and we'll get bum-rushed out of here! Put 'em away macho man."

Blitzwing stopped squirming in my grasp and stared back at the Captain. After a moment's indecision, he flipped back to Icy's calm and reasonable face. "Yez, sir." He said.

I set him down on the floor and he wandered over to one of the firm, uncomfortable-looking chairs that were some of the few furnishings the office held and proceeded to climb into it.

"Wow," I commented, " I guess there's a reason you're a Captain, huh?"

He turned and gave me a stern glare, "Cut the crap, Tank; what is it that's so important that you'd risk both this mechanical child and yourself to come here?"

Blitzwing looked up at this, "This is not just an office for our measly little shop; you and I both know there are some very powerful people around this place who would kill to get their hands on the technology he represents. So what is it?"

I looked over at Blitzwing for a moment and then turned back to my boss.

"I made him a promise that I'd help him to get back to normal, or at least to do all I can for him; I came here to ask for my vacation time, and to see if there was any advice or help you could give us, because I honestly don't know where to start," I confessed.

"You shouldn't meddle in their business you know," he said with a sigh, " but I know how you get when you promise something, so I'll do what I can to help you out. Wait here for a few minutes; I've got some thing that may or may not help, but it's in one of the labs."

He met my eyes once more. "Are you absolutely sure you want to help this guy?" he began in a low tone, trying to keep Blitzwing from overhearing, "Him and the others of his faction have caused a lot of grief for this city since they've arrived. Every bit of damage he does if your plan works will all be on your conscience. Can you handle that responsibility?"

His eyes bored into mine. "I _have_ to help him. I _can't_ leave him in this situation. You of all people know me best; my word is my bond, and you know I don't ever break a promise." I stated with as much earnestness as I could manage.

He gave me a meaningful look and left the room, presumably to retrieve said helpful item.

"Vhat vere jou visperink about?" Blitzwing piped up after he had closed the door.

"Nothing much Blitz, just arranging my off-time. The boss is going to go get something from another room that'll hopefully help us out." I pulled the Three-in-One oil tin out of my back pocket and shook it a little bit, "You want the other half of this oil-can while we wait?"

"JES!" he chirped happily as I handed it over.

Three magazine articles later the Captain came back into the office looking a bit flushed and nervous, clutching a small item in one hand and carefully shutting the door behind him.

I looked up at his entrance while Blitzwing continued drinking his oil.

"Okay, I'm going to have to make this quick," He held out the item; it was a small shard of what appeared to be crystal, about three and a half inches long, and it shone with a strange inner glow.

The faint glow it gave off caught Blitzwing's optic, he turned and stared, enchanted.

"An allspark shard!" he exclaimed.


	7. Chapter 7

Trouble with a Capital 'B' _ Chapter 7

"'Allspark' shard?" I asked, turning to Blitzwing, "What the crap is an 'allspark'?"

"Eet'S SomeziNg sparKley!" He said, shrieking with laughter.

"Seriously though; what is this thing and how the heck do you expect it to help us out exactly? I mean, it'd make an epic key chain, but I doubt that tiny thing can help much." I said as he handed it to me.

I held it up in the light and inspected it closely.

"It's all cracked and shit, too!" I exclaimed disappointedly.

"According to the information we've collected from the Autobots, (here Blitzwing switched to Hothead and was promptly shushed to prevent an interruption) this 'Allspark' is a massively powerful object. It's something like their version of the Ark of the Covenant. Important and well worth a high price, in both lives and resources, to recover it," the Captain explained. " This piece was recovered shortly after their initial arrival; since robotics and energy efficiency are my specific strong points, it was brought to me and I've been personally charged with the unlocking of it's secrets."

He heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes , "But so far I've got diddly-squat on it. The energy pulsing from this thing is just impossible to figure out. You understand I'm going to need this back fairly quickly, right?" he asked.

"Absolutely, Cap. But could you clue me in as to how exactly this _will_ help us? I get that it's got power, but does it do anything special?"

Blitzwing had gotten down from his chair and come to stand next to us, his gaze completely concentrated on the shard.

"Zhey usually do unusual zings vhen zhey haf activated," he said. He made a 'gimme-gimme' grabby motion with his hands, asking to hold it. I handed it to him and he held it up near his face in his little fist, inspecting it closely.

"Zis von does not seem to have been activated jet zho," He said as he passed it back to me.

"Un-activated, huh? " The Captain said, " I don't know about that, kid."

Blitzwing glared at the Cap, but was quickly stared down.

"This thing has caused enough confusion, but nothing like the chaos that the other shards that've been recovered have caused."

"Huh? Whaddya mean, Cap?"

He raised his gaze to meet mine, "Exactly what I say; Tank, This little crystal has been noted to randomly duplicate items. In all controlled tests it's done bupkiss, but every so-often when something is set beside it, say, a pen for instance, you can leave the room and come back to two pens." I stared into his eyes, searching for any hint of a joke. I didn't find any.

"You're completely legit? Two pens? Exactly the same? That's freaky." I stated.

"Not exactly the same; remember, I said duplicate, not clone. The duplicate pen had absolutely _nothing_ inside it. In other words, empty space was given the appearance of the pen, the appearance, but not the complete make-over. Do you get my point? It hasn't acted up lately, so I need you to take _extreme_ caution when handling this thing. Nothing living has been in the vicinity at any time when a duplication has taken place, and we don't have any idea what it could do if there were."

He looked us each squarely in the face and strongly enunciated each of his next words, "_Be very careful_."


	8. Chapter 8

Trouble With A Capital 'B' Chapter-8

The Captain stood, wished us luck, and dismissed us, saying he had quote unquote "Stuff to do".

I pocketed the shard and motioned to Blitzwing to follow as I walked out of the office. He scampered along beside me as I walked back towards the lobby, scowling.

"What's eating you?" I asked.

He looked up at me with his Icy blue face and replied, pouting, "Jou're valking too fast."

I smiled.

"You want me to carry you?"

His face spun and settled on the crazy smile.

"JeS!" He leaped at me and started climbing up my pantleg like a monkey.

"Hey!" I shouted in surprise. He proceeded to climb up my hip and onto my back while I squirmed, trying to catch hold of him any way I could. He laughed maniacally as he finally secured a perch on my wide shoulders. I twisted my head to the side to look at him. "Are you through?" I asked, irritated. My answer was a giggle and a neck hug.

"I'm never going to understand how anyone can put up with you, Blitzwing." I said with another roll of my eyes, and continued down the corridor.

As we went around a corner, I bumped smack into a security guard. Big tough-looking guy, too.

"Oh! Sorry, dude!"

He scowled at me. I grinned nervously and edged away from him and his glare of doom.

I had Blitzwing slide down onto the floor.

"This is the way to the exit, isn't it?" I queried. He flicked his eyes towards Blitzwing and then continued to stare at me.

I blinked. "Are you okay? I didn't give you a concussion or anything, did I?" I said, making an effort to smooth this over with a joke. It wasn' t working.

I reached up to put my hand on his forehead; bad move. He grabbed me roughly by the wrist, spinning me around and twisting my arm up and behind me.

"OW, What the heck, man?"

"You're not authorized to be here. State your business in this facility." He demanded sternly.

"You… didn't say the magic word!"

He scowled and tightened his grip.

"My business is my business, dude! Let go of my arm!" I growled through gritted teeth,

"If you don't let go of me, we're going to have a problem." I threatened. I caught a glimpse of a smirk on his face out of the corner of my eyes. Oh, it was so ON.

I quickly brought my other elbow up and into his chest, knocking the wind out of him, then I ducked down and rolled him over my shoulder and onto the floor. I twisted my arm out of his weakened grip.

"Maybe you'll treat a 'lady' with more respect now. Not every Bar-Fight Champ you meet is as gentle as I am." I said as I snatched up a startled Blitzwing, and began a brisk walk, if not run, towards the exit.

I wasn't going to wait until he caught his breath to get the heck out of there.

As we dashed past the front counter, I shouted a sarcastic farewell to Brianna and ran out the door, laughing at her disgusted expression.

We got to the car without incident, and I opened the door for Blitzwing to get in the back seat.

He climbed in and I buckled him up, making sure the straps were adjusted for his royal shortness.

I hopped in the driver's seat and started the car, but as I began to press the gas, that sharp little fragment stuck me in the leg.

"OUCH!" I yelped as I stomped on the brakes and was poked again. I threw the car into park and stuffed my hand into my pocket to get that thing out in a hurry. I yanked the shard out of my pocket and scowled at it.

"Hey, Blitzwing? You wanna hold onto this for a bit?" I asked as I held it over the back seat.

He looked it over once more before folding his little servos around it and spinning back to Random, giggling to himself as he swooped it around in the air in front of him, pretending it was a plane or something. I watched him in the rearview mirror for a moment before pulling out of the parking lot.


	9. Chapter 9

Trouble With A Capital 'B'- Chapter 9

I whipped out of the parking lot and hopped on the freeway towards the other side of Detroit.

"Vere are ve goink now, Tank?" Blitzwing asked from the back. He was slouching in his seat with his optics half shuttered, allspark shard still clutched tightly in his fist.

"We're going back to my apartment for a while so I can think about what to do next. You might want to have a nap or something while we're there, too; you look wiped out."

He switched faces to Hothead and snorted. "AHM NOT SLEEPY! UND ZERE IZ NO VAY JOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME TAKE A NAP!" His visor dimmed slightly as he crossed his arms and leaned back into the plush seat backing before spinning back to Icy. "But perhaps ah vill lay down for a bit." He sighed as his optics drooped. I just smiled to myself.

I pulled off the freeway halfway through the city. The Burger Bot had finally finished rebuilding for the third time. You'd think the owners would have figured out by now that a large open space in the middle of the city was just asking for trouble from our resident giant robots. They even added a kid's playground this time. But, while they were still in business, it couldn't hurt to get a bite to eat.

Eat. Shoot! I hadn't even thought about Blitzwing! He hadn't had anything besides that tiny little oil-can this morning; he had to be starving! I looked up into the rearview to check on him.

Sound asleep.

I smiled warmly. For a giant evil space-bot, he's not as horrible as you'd think. I blinked and shook my head as I pulled into the drive through.

'Don't get used to this, Tank,' I reprimanded myself, 'You haven't even been looking after him for a day and you're already getting attached. You're just helping him out for a few days, nothing more.'

Then my subconscious decided to join in. '-Yeah, and you'll probably get squished when this is all over. Why do you even bother? Do you think he'll be grateful to you? You're just an insect to him. This is gonna end like every other time you've pledged yourself to help somebody: Badly.-'

I watched myself frown in the mirror. 'Shut up, inner me. I didn't ask you.'

I requested a double-decker burger with fries and a chocolate shake at the mecho-server speaker, got my meal, put my shake in the cup-holder, and pulled out of the drive through.

As I turned out of the lot, I bumped the curb, earning a tired groan from the back seat.

"TAAAANK! JOU VOKE ME UP!" , the little hot-headed one whined.

"I'm sorry, Blitzwing. I didn't pull out far enough. Hey, while your awake, are you hungry? We can make a pit-stop at a Murray's and get you some more oil tins if you like."

He turned over to Icy and yawned, then said, "Zure. Ah am ztartink to get hungry again. Ah don't normally eat zis often, zho…." He frowned to himself in the back seat. "Mein fuel system must be functioning at sparkling capacity."

"Uh-huh… well, how often am I gonna have to feed you?" I asked as I made another turn.

"VAT KIND OF QUESTION IZ ZAT? AH CAN FEED MYZELF!" he shouted indignantly.

"Whoa, chill! In case you haven't noticed, you're starting to act like a kid more often. I need to know now in case you're not able to tell me later. In fact, is there anything else important about you I'm gonna need to know? You know, like how to stay alive if I get caught with you by your boss? How would I explain the fact that you put an organic in charge of your tiny self when your mind has completely gone? I'd just be left with a baby robot with no idea how to take care of it; and I know you don't want me to take you to those Autobot guys for help."

He spun back to Icy and said, "Jou're right, Tank." He sounded distressed at the thought of being a mindless infant. Hell, I would be, too! "Jou'll have to forgive me; jou'll understand if ahm a bit stressed ovah my situation."

My expression softened. "Look, Blitzwing, it's not happening all that often; odds are you'll be back to normal soon enough. But I'll be here for you as long as you need me. I've never broken a promise that matters this much, and I'm not about to start breaking them here okay?"

He met my eyes in the rearview as we drove on.

"Ahm not zo zure it vill be zat easy, Tank. Do jou remember vat jou said ven ve first met? About getting Ztarscream's project and makink me a grown-up again?" He fiddled with the allspark shard for a few moments. He paused after that and took a huge breath and sobbed loudly.

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I kept silent as I watched him through the mirror.


	10. Chapter 10

Trouble With a Capital 'B'- Chapter 10

It was a little after noon when, after circling the Detroit area for several hours, scanning for any trace of him, Starscream finally gave up his search for Blitzwing. Evidently Megatron's method of energy signature masking was doing it's job, and doing it well.

"Frag this!", he shouted mid-air.

The Constructicons had had no clue where he was, so what was the point of looking for him anymore? He'd either show up unexpectedly, Blitzwing style, or he wouldn't, and if he didn't he had better have been captured by the Autobots. If he hadn't, Starscream shuddered at the thought of the punishment their leader would deal out. Not that he cared what happened to that massive malfunction Megatron called a soldier.

He turned, heading back to base. Megatron would not be pleased with this news.

We'd decided it would be best if Blitzwing stayed in the car while I went inside this time, seeing as how he'd been in this area recently, as the blackened and crumbling storefronts down the street testified.

I pulled out an old jacket I kept in the car for rainy days, "Cover up with this if you see anyone coming." I instructed, giving it to him, "I'll be back as fast as I can." I cracked all the windows , locked the doors, and trotted through the lot to the store.

I grabbed a crate of 3-in-1 and a new pack of shop towels and headed to the check-out as quickly as possible, but I still wasn't as quick as I would have liked. As I was waiting in the check-out line, folks kept pausing by my car, apparently noticing Blitzwing in the back seat, so I was constantly setting off my alarm to keep the looky-loos at bay.

Watching them scramble away as if they hadn't been doing anything was hilarious, but it did nothing to ease my dread that someone would actually figure out exactly who and what was in my car.

I got a funny look from the cashier as I laid out my purchases. "The shop ran out.", I lied. He shrugged and rang me up.

Outside, I dashed for the car, tossed my purchases in the trunk, with the exception of one oil tin, and hopped in.

I was shocked when Blitzwing crawled over the seat hurriedly and clung to me, trembling.

"DON'T JOU EVAH LEAVE ME LIKE ZAT AGAIN!", he sobbed as he shook.

I gently hugged him back and patted his helm in an attempt to comfort him. "It's okay, Blitz; I'm back now.", I whisper to him. Great. I'd traumatized him.

He calmed down and gradually stopped shaking. "Vhy did jou take zo long? Zere vere organics everyvhere! Any vone of zem could have found me und taken me avay!", he questioned as he pushed himself out of my embrace, trying valiantly to preserve what little dignity he had left.

I let go of him and let him climb back into the back seat. "I was in there for less than ten minutes, Blitzwing. I kept a look-out the entire time. Didn't you hear the car alarm going off?"

"Ah heard it."

"And did you see the people turn and leave as soon as it went off?"

"….Jes." He said quietly.

"I'm not going to let anyone take you. Don't be so quick to develop abandonment issues, I was watching over you from the second I left the car." Just then I noticed that he was no longer holding the Allspark shard. "Blitzwing? Where's the Allspark shard?" I asked.

He pointed to the floor. I let out a relieved sigh and started the car. "I know you're hungry, so here," I said as I passed him the tin. He took it eagerly and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. I smiled. "Let's get outta here. Buckle up, kid."

We drove to my apartment without incident, although Blitzwing was having a devil of a time getting the oil out of the newly redesigned oil tin. '-Why can't manufacturers leave a good thing alone?-' I thought to myself, irritated. "Hey, Blitzwing? Are you having a hard time with that?" I asked, concerned.

In response, he threw a nearly full tin into the front seat, "VAT DO JOU ZINK?!" Hothead retorted, crossing his arms. "VAT ZORT OF GLITCH-HEAD DESIGNED ZAT CONTAINAH?" he huffed.

"Hey! Rules of the house, dude; No throwing stuff, no burning or freezing stuff, and when a door is shut, you knock and wait for the okay before you open it. That, and I'm always player one, but that one's irrelevant in your case." I said with a chuckle. I picked up the tin before it could drip into my floormats and capped it.

I got out of the car, and opened his door for him. "Hop out, squirt. I don't have enough hands to carry you and your crate of oil."

He was silent as I went around to the trunk. I picked up the crate and shut the trunk; I'd leave the new pack of shop towels in my trunk; I had two rolls I already in the apartment. I came back to shut the door and he was still sitting there. "What are you doing? Come on, I've got something inside for you." I coaxed.

I nudged him with my elbow to get him moving, but the only response I got was an overly dramatic groan from his little jack-o-lantern face. "Come on, I know you can walk. Move." I nudged him again, with the same result.

"TaaaaanK! Ah'M ToO TireD TO MovE!" Random whined.

Hothead put in an appearance, "AND AHM HUNGRY!"

He made cyber-puppy optics at me and raised his tiny servos towards me, turning back to Random. "CarrY ME?"

"Oh god, not the face. Fine, I'll carry you, just stop with the eyes!" I said, defeated. I mean honestly, who can resist 'the face'?

I put the crate down, picked up the Allspark shard from it's spot on the mat and put it in my back pocket, along with the tin he'd chucked. I then unbuckled Blitzwing and lifted him to my shoulder with one arm, locked the car, and bumped the door shut with my hip.

I squatted down and picked up the crate by one side where there was a handle punched into the cardboard and hustled my way to the upstairs corner apartment I called home.

"Here we are, home sweet home." I announced, setting the crate down to dig in my pocket for my keys and unlock the door.

"Yo, Tank!"

I looked over to see my downstairs neighbor making his way up the steps. 'Aw, crud!' I popped the door open and set Blitzwing down inside before he could be seen.


End file.
